Help I'm Thinking of Buying An Esprit V8
Discussion
I'm considering trading in my 98 Elise for a 1999 Model Esprit V8. I'm looking to use the Esprit as my daily driver covering around 10000 miles a year, and I'm just wondering if anyone could tell me about the general reliabilty and serviceing costs of Esprit V8's and wether they are suitable for daily use.
When I bought my 88 you couldn't peel me out of it. I drove it daily for about 6 mos. back and forth from Los Angeles to Las Vegas weekly w/o a hitch. I feel that the more you drive an esprit the more reliable they become, just because all the moving and working parts don't get to sit too long. I am sure a 99 would prove to be a more reliable car. Good luck to you and your purchase!
Cheers,
Dino
Cheers,
Dino
True..... I'm driving my 2000Esprit about 4 days a week. I take it whenever I go out for a movie, date w/the girlfriend, visit the parents, etc.. I ran into a rough idling/backfiring situation which I attribute to adding the STP 104 octane/injector clearner JUNK! I replaced my plugs and after 4 full tanks of gas the idle is better...not perfect....but better. I just reached my (addition to the Lotus recommended schedule) next service time at 26K where I'll do the oil change and pull the wheels off to check brakes and the sort... The t-belt was replaced at 22K so it will need adjusting at around 33K(Free of charge for ALL V8 Esprits).
The car runs without any bugs at all... It just feels more civilized for the everyday use than my 89SE. Of course I went from a 13 year old car to a 3 year old car which in itself if a big difference.....but then again... they are both Esprits and a joy to drive. When I get some more time, I'm going to add running cost/info on owning an Esprit (89 - 00).
Ed-
The car runs without any bugs at all... It just feels more civilized for the everyday use than my 89SE. Of course I went from a 13 year old car to a 3 year old car which in itself if a big difference.....but then again... they are both Esprits and a joy to drive. When I get some more time, I'm going to add running cost/info on owning an Esprit (89 - 00).
Ed-
thanks guys, this does sound good, i was also loooking at the tuscan, but so many posts with people complaining about the engine problems. i love the esprit but was just very worried about the running costs and having to take it back to lotus every other week.
Is there a certain year i should advoid or go for on the v8? and would you but from a dealer and get the warranty or buy private and risk it? thanks guys.
Is there a certain year i should advoid or go for on the v8? and would you but from a dealer and get the warranty or buy private and risk it? thanks guys.
i think driving a v8 in the sunny usa is fine but the esprit is generally not used by many people as their regular transport in the uk.after all how many high mileage esprits do you see?
i hear regular tales of poor parts supply which could make your life hell,same would apply to tvr.
have a look at the porsche range,all those people can't be wrong!!
i hear regular tales of poor parts supply which could make your life hell,same would apply to tvr.
have a look at the porsche range,all those people can't be wrong!!
You *can* run a v8 esprit as your daily transport, but it will cost you a bunch more money than an elise. What John Hazzard says is not wrong.
I've run esprits as my only transport for just under three years. First a gt3, then a v8. The v8 is a better car IMO for a daily commute as it has better torque characteristics and a lighter clutch. I've only recently got my self a second car (golf) to keep the mileage off my esprit, but prior to this i used my v8 as daily wheels. Yes it will be expensive, and no, it won't be as relable as something german, but it IS great fun, british, stylish and very exclusive. It is also massively quick - you will need a 911 turbo or tuscan to go quicker. BTW I see more 911's every day on my daily commmute than ford escorts!
I was unlucky to have a coolant loss problem with my car which pushed up my running costs. Check out my profile to see the costs over the last 28,000 miles.
A GT3 may prove less costly to run, and is more like the elise in character. Depends on the sort of driving you will be doing, and what your criteria are for your next car.
Never driven a tuscan, but i know they are supercar quick. The esprit is also a sub 10 second 0-100 car but also is a sublime handler. Suggest you drive both before making any decisions. It goes without saying that if you choose esprit over tvr, you are staying with the lotus 'heritage' if that means anything to you (colin chapman designed the esprit etc).
Neither car would be a bad choice. Have fun with your search
cheers
Rob
98 V8-GT Esprit
I've run esprits as my only transport for just under three years. First a gt3, then a v8. The v8 is a better car IMO for a daily commute as it has better torque characteristics and a lighter clutch. I've only recently got my self a second car (golf) to keep the mileage off my esprit, but prior to this i used my v8 as daily wheels. Yes it will be expensive, and no, it won't be as relable as something german, but it IS great fun, british, stylish and very exclusive. It is also massively quick - you will need a 911 turbo or tuscan to go quicker. BTW I see more 911's every day on my daily commmute than ford escorts!
I was unlucky to have a coolant loss problem with my car which pushed up my running costs. Check out my profile to see the costs over the last 28,000 miles.
A GT3 may prove less costly to run, and is more like the elise in character. Depends on the sort of driving you will be doing, and what your criteria are for your next car.
Never driven a tuscan, but i know they are supercar quick. The esprit is also a sub 10 second 0-100 car but also is a sublime handler. Suggest you drive both before making any decisions. It goes without saying that if you choose esprit over tvr, you are staying with the lotus 'heritage' if that means anything to you (colin chapman designed the esprit etc).
Neither car would be a bad choice. Have fun with your search
cheers
Rob
98 V8-GT Esprit
I am a strong advocate of working on ones own car. It help to understand how the car works and handles. It will make you a better driver and dramatically lower the costs associated with ownership. It is part of the car hobby. Not matter what type of car, very good drivers have one thing in common. They know the car very well. As more V8's come off of warranty, more people will work on the V8's. The V8 is a car, and the more one works on one the better one becomes on it. Just like anything else. Many times a shop people take their Esprit to has very little experience with that particular car. A manual is where these mechanics got their start.
Calvin
Calvin
karmavore said:
Rob
98 V8-GT Esprit
~6 Thousand Pounds/Year in maintenance! Is that typical???
How about my V8 brothers in the US, what are you paying?
Luke.
PS, I'm thinking of getting a V8 too, but those costs are discouraging.
No, its not typical. If you look at my profile, you'll see 'til recently I used the car as my only transport and i've done a pretty high mileage in the car - it has over 63,000 miles on it now. Also, my job dictates that i don't have the time (or skills in fact) to do any work on the car myself, hence these are main dealer prices i'm paying.
If you do a lower mileage and do some work yourself then you will undoubtedly spend significantly less than i did when i was running my v8 as my only car.
Also, i was unlucky in that i had to pay out for some major engine work. If you subtract that particular bill then work out what the cost per mile is, its actually not that bad. But like L'Oreal - its worth it
I would guess that a tuscan/355/NSX/911 would cost similar amounts if run over that sort of mileage. In fact, if anyone has real histories of those cars over similar mileages then please post them so we can compare.
What p*sses me off is when people say "wow, thats expensive" when they are comparing it to a diesel golf or something. Get real - its a
ing SUPERCAR! What did you expect!? Also, anecdotal stuff like "my mate has an nsx and it costs next to nothing to run" doesn't mean squat if the guy only does 500 miles a year in it. I sometimes do that in a day in my esprit 
Rob
Gassing Station | Esprit | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff